Guide
Wine Regions of the Midwest
The Midwest was the centre of American wine before Prohibition, when Ohio and Missouri led the country, and it has quietly rebuilt itself into a region of several hundred wineries. The Great Lakes moderate the climate, the river valleys hold the history, and the cold-hardy grapes from Minnesota make wine possible on the prairie.
Michigan: the lake effect
Lake Michigan keeps winters mild along the western shore, and the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas near Traverse City have become a proper wine destination: Riesling, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, sparkling and ice wine among cherry orchards and beaches. The southwest corner, around Fennville and Lake Michigan Shore, is the other cluster. Michigan wineries
Missouri: Hermann, Augusta and Norton
German settlers built Hermann’s wine district in the 1840s, Augusta became America’s first AVA in 1980, and Norton is the state grape. The Missouri River wineries between St. Louis and Hermann are an easy day trip with the Katy bike trail between them. Missouri wineries
Ohio, Indiana and the Ohio River
Ohio’s Grand River Valley east of Cleveland grows Riesling and Pinot Gris on the lake; the islands around Put-in-Bay are the summer favourite; and the Ohio River hills hold Indiana’s Uplands and Kentucky’s Bluegrass wineries. Traminette, Chambourcin and Vidal Blanc are the grapes to look for. Ohio · Indiana · Kentucky
The Upper Midwest
Minnesota bred the grapes; Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas and Nebraska grow them. Expect Marquette, Frontenac, La Crescent and Brianna, farm wineries with weekend music, and the dramatic Mississippi bluffs of the Driftless Area. Wisconsin’s Door County adds cherry wine and lake views. Upper Midwest wineries · the hybrids guide
Illinois and the southern edge
The Shawnee Hills in far southern Illinois have their own AVA and wine trail through the national forest; Arkansas‘s Altus district and Oklahoma‘s Route 66 wineries complete the picture. The regions page maps them all, and each state guide lists every producer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wine Regions of the Midwest: where does this information come from?
Winery counts and locations come from the federal TTB permit list and each producer's own website. Nothing on this page is a paid placement and we publish no ratings.
Find the wineries
Every producer in the country is on the map, with the address, phone and website we could confirm.